Darshan Training

Darshan, from the Hebrew root D-R-S, means “to interpret or expand upon scripture”. The Darshan is a Jewish prayer leader and educator. Today, the term is often given to the person offering the sermon/dvar Torah in a synagogue setting. But it has a much deeper, fuller history.

In Talmudic times, the Darshan was a revered community member who could take the heavy teachings of the rabbis and make them accessible to the everyday person, using everyday language. Through charismatic storytelling, intellectual discourse, and engagement with the Jewish community, the Darshan could take lofty ideas and bring them to life. Darshan Yeshiva is reviving this ancient role and expanding upon it, educating laypeople to be confident spiritual leaders for their own communities.